Daily Archives: December 1, 2009

Today was the first day of testing for the 2010 season. The cars were all 2009 spec, as testing 2010 parts or models is still banned until February. Over the next three days, 19 young drivers for 9 teams will take part. Today, the following drivers were present:

For McLaren, Gary Paffett took most of the testing day, but 90 minutes were given at the end to Oliver Turvey, as part of winning the 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. He only completed 27 laps, but improved his times more than anyone else in this time.

Andy Soucek set the pace today in the Williams, despite a spin and stall at the Michelin hairpin, which brought out the red flags. Also, Brendon Hartley spun his Toro Rosso into the barriers between the chicane and the Ferrari curve, which knocked off the front-right wheel and nose of the car.